Baby Makes 3
by MaddieMozart
Summary: The story of Rapunzel and Eugene's first child and their new role as parents!
1. Tangled Feelings

_July_

_Oh, how can I tell him? I may be wrong, but… no, I'm sure. But how will I tell Eugene? _Rapunzel nervously combed her fingers through her short brown hair, wishing she had more courage. _No, maybe I don't need to tell him now. _She pushed open the wide oak doors to her bedchamber and walked in, closing the doors behind her. Eugene was standing with his back to her, buttoning up a white shirt and pulling on a black vest. He turned to see his wife in the room and he smiled in greeting. Rapunzel managed a small smile in return, but couldn't cast the nervous look from her eyes. Eugene noticed and his demeanor quickly turned to one of concern.

"How are you, Mrs. Fitzherbert?" he asked gently, remembering her distaste for the phrase, "what's the matter?". Rapunzel read his implied question and sighed, wishing that she had composed herself better before coming in. She hated causing Eugene concern, even though she knew he didn't mind when she needed him. She shook her head.

"I… ah, I'm fine, Eugene. Really." He didn't say anything but raised a sculpted eyebrow in question. Eugene could read her like a book.

"Truly, Eugene," she said, trying to sound reassuring. "I'm just tired." He didn't look very convinced, but thankfully he left it at that. He went over to her and brushed her brunette locks back from her face so he could see her luminescent green eyes that made him smile every time he saw her. Her eyes, which showed compassion, kindness, happiness, and love, but also betrayed her true feelings to him when she hid her emotions.

"I love you, Rapunzel," he said tenderly, hoping to calm her. He kissed her lightly on the tip of her perfect button nose. She sighed again and leaned into him, breathing in his familiar scent and feeling his warmth. He kissed her hair and she pulled back from him, a sad look in her eyes.

"I love you too," she said, stepping away from him and going to the door that opened into the room adjacent to hers and Eugene's. "What are we going to use this room for?" she asked. He shrugged, back to his regular self.

"Whatever you want, I guess," he answered.

"I'd like it to be a nursery," she said quietly. Eugene seemed not to hear her as he went about turning down the bed for her. He hesitated and looked up at her, feeling her gaze on him.

"What?" he asked, seeing those worried green orbs looking at him like her heart would break. She closed her eyes.

"Nothing." Then, almost as an afterthought, "thank you for getting the bed ready."

"Come on," he said. She got into bed and let him tuck her in, kissing her forehead. "Sleep well, Blondie. Enjoy your nap." Before Eugene was out the door, she was asleep.

* * *

**So, there's chapter one! I don't own anything Tangled, though that would be epic. Review and you make my day!**


	2. Telling Eugene

_July_

"No, no, no! You're doing it all wrong." Rapunzel snatched the pillow from the bed, placing it in exactly the same way it had been. Eugene laughed at her unexpected need for perfection, but she only glared at him, her face dead serious.

"Honey, that was the same way I put it," Eugene said. The brunette shook her head in denial. They finished making up the bed, but Eugene let his wife do the rest of the pillows.

The couple made their way downstairs to Rapunzel's father's study, but were met along the way by Rosemary, Rapunzel's mother, the Queen.

"Where are you two off to?" she asked, smiling at her daughter and son-in-law.

"The Village," Rapunzel said suddenly. Eugene had not been aware of these plans, but he enjoyed visiting the townsfolk and the place where he had first realized he loved the eighteen year-old Rapunzel. Rosemary nodded.

"I'll tell your father. Have fun." Rapunzel took her husband's hand and practically dragged him to the Village Square, where the Kingdom's royal emblem, a sun surrounded by purple vines, was still on the cobblestone street from when Rapunzel had painted it two years ago. Of course, she came down every year to re-color it, but it still looked like new throughout the year. They were met with greetings from the grown-ups and adoring cries from the children.

Eugene stole a look at his Princess. She was smiling and laughing, her eyes dancing as she greeted the children crowded around her skirts. But then she looked almost sad. Her eyes flitted up to Eugene, and she blushed girlishly when he met her gaze. Eugene wore an expression of puzzlement, but he quickly dismissed her behavior as sentimentality. The place sometimes got to him as well.

Once the children had been called away by their parents, Rapunzel once again took Eugene's hand and lead him to the docks. They got a boat, a small rowboat very similar to the one that they had been in on Rapunzel's eighteenth birthday. Going out on the water was one of the couple's favorite pastimes, though they didn't go near the shore where Eugene had been kidnapped by the Stabbington brothers that horrible night. It made Rapunzel nervous and gave Eugene an altogether bad feeling, so they steered clear of it.

Rapunzel let her fingers trail in the water, welcoming the coolness of the water on the warm July day. She leaned back and closed her eyes, letting the movement of the boat rock her into peacefulness.

"You're beautiful, you know." Rapunzel opened her eyes and smiled at her husband.

"More or less than the first time we came out here?" she asked.

"More," he answered, without hesitation. "You get more beautiful every day, Rapunzel." She laughed.

"Only because I'm so in love," she said, gazing tenderly into Eugene's chocolate eyes. He took her small hands in his big ones. Rapunzel dropped her gaze to her feet and ducked her head.

"What is it?" Eugene asked, concerned. Rapunzel spoke in nearly a whisper.

"You said I was your new dream," she said. Eugene was confused. Why was she bringing this up now?

"Yes, Rapunzel. You're my new dream, and it's perfect. Don't… don't you think so?" She nodded.

"Did you ever think… about… a different dream?" she asked haltingly.

"No," Eugene said, now utterly perplexed. She wanted something different? Why? No, she couldn't, could she? "What's wrong with this dream?"

"Well…" she started, "what if this dream had a… a baby?" It took Eugene a full minute to comprehend what she said, and even then, he couldn't speak.

"Eugene?" Rapunzel asked.

"A… I… you're… a baby?" he stammered. "You're sure?" She nodded. Slowly, a smile spread over Eugene's face. "A baby. Imagine that."

"So, you're happy?" Rapunzel asked. Eugene unexpectedly took his wife in an embrace.

"So happy, Rapunzel. Immeasurably happy." He pulled back from her and put a hand on her stomach. "When is it coming?" Rapunzel thought for a moment.

"March," she said matter-of-factly.

"A baby," Eugene repeated, still amazed. "We're going to have a baby, Rapunzel." Eugene kissed his bride, feeling overwhelmed yet so content in the fact that his perfect dream had just gotten better, something he didn't think was possible. He looked down at Rapunzel's stomach, a smile still on his lips.

"Hi baby," he said to the life within Rapunzel, already feeling a consuming love for the child he did not know. "This is your Daddy, and your mommy just told me about you. And we already love you so much, and we don't even know you, so that makes our love even more special." He looked back to his wife's love-filled eyes and kissed her again.

"I love you, Rapunzel, and our baby. Our little miracle."

"I love you too, Eugene. And our baby, because it's another sign of our love, and how perfect our new dream is."

* * *

**There's chapter 2! Please review! (rhyme not intended) :]**

**Love, MaddieMozart**


	3. Paint

_August_

"I know you don't feel good, sweetheart, I know. But it'll be gone soon, I promise." Rapunzel groaned and leaned into Eugene. She had gotten her fair share of morning sickness over the past month, and it was doing nothing but making her reputation as a morning person look invented. Eugene hoped that she would soon be back to normal; he missed her happy personality as she woke him up each day. Now it was him waking her up, only to have her get sick or just be miserable. He wasn't annoyed with her, but he felt sorry for her and wanted to help her feel better.

"Are you sure?" she asked into his shirt. She didn't sound convinced.

"I'm sure," he said, rubbing her back sympathetically. "Do you want to get back in bed?" She had been sleeping in a lot lately, just because she wanted to escape the nausea. But she shook her head and didn't supply what it was she wanted to do.

"Do you want to go down to the Village?" Eugene asked. Again, she shook her head. "Do you want to get something to eat?" She repeated her wordless answer. Eugene laughed softly. "You have to tell me what you want, 'Punzie, or I can't help you. I can't just guess everything there is to do."

"I want to stop feeling sick," she answered, her voice slightly muffled by the fabric of Eugene's vest. Eugene held his wife close.

"I know, honey. But it means that everything's going just as it should. So that's good, right?"

"I guess," she said skeptically. Suddenly, she looked up at Eugene, excitement glowing in her eyes. Eugene hadn't quite gotten used to her pregnancy-induced mood swings just yet, nor would he ever, he suspected, but there was no telling when she'd completely change her disposition from depressed, to overjoyed, to enraged, to extremely enthusiastic. Of course, Rapunzel had a sort of zealous personality to begin with, but never had Eugene experienced it to the pregnancy extreme.

"I know what we can do!" she said her voice and expression animated. "We can paint the nursery!" He raised an eyebrow.

"But we don't know if the baby's going to be a boy or a girl, Blondie," Eugene said, trying to be the voice of reason.

"Oh," Rapunzel said, turning depressed. "I guess you're right." Then, she switched back to enthusiastic. "But couldn't we paint it green or yellow or something that could work for both?" she asked. "I mean, we can't paint _after _the baby gets here. That wouldn't make sense." She looked up at Eugene, her eyes pleading. "Can we paint it, please, Eugene? The baby wants to." She patted her stomach. "Don't you, Baby?" She looked back up at Eugene.

"Alright, fine. I'll get someone to get us paint." So, an hour later, Eugene and Rapunzel Fitzherbert, along with their unborn child, started painting the nursery a lemonade yellow that Rapunzel thought was "absolutely and positively the best choice, don't you think?".

"I'm coming back behind you, Mrs. Fitzherbert," Eugene said, calling her by her married name, something he did rarely that she loved. She looked over her shoulder, a disappointed look on her face.

"Why? Didn't I do it well?" she asked. Eugene was quick to allay her fears.

"No, no, I just wanted to give it another coat and get the places you couldn't reach."

"Oh," she said, satisfied. "Eugene, you've got paint on your nose."

"What? No I don't," he said, rubbing his nose to get it off in spite of himself. "Where?"

"Right… there!" Rapunzel reached out and painted Eugene's nose with her brush. She doubled over, giggling, while Eugene tried to get the paint off with his sleeve.

"Now you just smeared it," Rapunzel said, still laughing, as she helped him to get rid of the paint. She gave him a light kiss, which he lovingly returned.

"Don't think that you're gonna get off the hook with this one, Goldie," Eugene said as they broke apart. She shook her head.

"Men. Always thinking of revenge." Eugene chuckled.

"Hey, your dad and I are the only men you know personally, so I don't think you can knowledgeably say that about _all _men." Rapunzel turned to look at him, a playful and challenging look on her face.

"You don't know that I don't know other men personally," she said, her voice mischievous.

"Oh, so now you have a boyfriend?" Eugene said back teasingly. She let out a half-exasperated half-laughing sigh.

"Stop it, Eugene," she said, leaning in for a kiss. "You know I couldn't – no, I wouldn't – have anybody else but you. You are the only man I love." She got her kiss, but Eugene was quick to keep up the banter.

"Have you told your father yet?" he asked. She was confused, so Eugene kept going. "I mean, that you don't love him."

"What? Oh – Eugene!" She punched his shoulder playfully, realizing what he meant. "I meant that you were the only – I mean, that I could marry, or – well, that I – " She stumbled over her words, trying to explain it to him. Eugene laughed.

"I know what you mean, 'Punzie. I love you too."


	4. Showing and Fear

_September_

The Kingdom of Corona was preparing itself for the fall as it began the month of September. Inside the castle, things were busier than usual as well, with Rapunzel having gotten over her morning sickness and gone back to her usual happy ways. Everyone was happy to see the Princess back on her feet, eager to start work on decorating the nursery. And a surprise had come to Eugene one morning as he and Rapunzel were dressing.

"Goldie, look!" Eugene said in amazement. Rapunzel's eyes flitted from the mirror to Eugene as she tried to figure out what he wanted her to look at. She saw that his gaze was resting on her exposed stomach.

"What?" she asked, confused. He came over to her and out his hand on her belly.

"You're showing, 'Punzie," he said. She gasped and looked down.

"Am I really?" she asked, feeling her heart swell with happiness and astonishment. Sure enough, Rapunzel's baby bump was just starting to show at her abdomen, creating visible proof of the little life inside of her. The couple looked up at each other and smiled, wonder showing in their eyes as they dreamed about their coming baby.

"This is crazy," Rapunzel said, looking back to her belly. "I can't believe we're actually having a baby. We're having a baby, Eugene." He kissed her.

"That's right, Blondie. We're having a baby."

* * *

Eugene woke to the sound of his wife crying softly. Rolling over to face her, he saw in the moonlight that she had herself hid behind her hands. He drew her close to him and rubbed her back, wondering what could be wrong with her.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she said through her hands. "I'm sorry."

"Hush, now. Don't be sorry," he said, not wanting her to feel any worse than she was. "What's wrong?" She nestled closer to him.

"I don't think I'm ready," she said quietly. Eugene was puzzled.

"Ready for what, sweetheart?" he asked gently.

"For being a mother." Her anxiety was palpable. Eugene found himself recalling Mother Gothel, the wicked woman who had kidnapped Rapunzel as a baby and kept her in a tower so that she could use Rapunzel's magic hair to keep herself young. Of course she was afraid of being a mother. Rapunzel had never had a good mother figure until she came back here and bonded with the Queen. Eugene tried to console her.

"You're going to be a wonderful mother, Rapunzel," he said, without a doubt in his heart that it was true.

"But no one ever taught me how," she said into his chest. "What if I'm… what if I turn out to be like… like _her_?" Eugene thought that this was ridiculous.

"Rapunzel, you could never, _ever_, be like her if you tried. Do you hear me?" She nodded. "You'll know, I promise, when the time comes."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm positive," he answered. "And you have your mother too, you know."

"You're right," she said, gazing up at him. He kissed her forehead.

"I know, 'Punzie. Now get to sleep." And she did, wrapped in her husband's loving embrace.


End file.
